Serenity
by Mikashimotaku
Summary: In spite the situation, he laughed at the ridiculous nickname in which she called him. However, he knew she was not in the mood for laughter in the moment. He went on his knees, so that he was at the same height as she was while she sat. "Now, now, tears don't suit you Rumi-chan." Oneshot. -HanabusaxRumi-


**Me: Drum roll please!**

**Kashino: How about... Oh yeah! No.**

**Me: Aw, you're so cruel to me...**

**Kashino: If I weren't, your ego would be the size of North America.**

**Me: Ouch. You're harsh.**

**Kashino: I try.**

**Me: Anyway, everyone! As I've said before (... Have I?) I'm venturing into the other couples of Yumeiro Patissiere. Who remembers the AndouxKana oneshot? Anyone?**

**Kashino: No one.**

**Me: ... You be quiet. **

**Kashino: But-**

**Me: My Beloved, remember? So, this HanabusaxRumi story takes place when they are still teenagers. I'm planning on writing a future story about them and their family too, but for now, I thought I'd explain how they became a couple, because the anime didn't show anything of the sort. So without further ado, my first HanabusaxRumi fanfiction. I hope you like it! :)**

**Kashino: Mikashi doesn't own Yumeiro Patissiere.**

* * *

Serenity

They say attraction to another is a connection two people share, that make them feel that undeniably they like each other. It is love that changes that from a simple attraction to an actual emotion. Though, it is one of the hardest to find.

Katou Rumi had found it so. In the time of her teenager years, she had basically spent her whole time in middle school and a little of high school dating a boy she had thought she was in love with. Though now, sometimes she couldn't really tell if she really had been or if she had just been confusing it with simple attraction. Nonetheless, long distance relationships really did strain the two on both ends. Not only did they go to different schools, but because Rumi was in boarding school, they didn't even live in the same city.

At first, every visit home gave her that special tingly feeling. When he pulled her into a hug, gently telling her how he missed her, she was surprised with how much she had missed him as well.

On her first visit home, he had taken her outside into his backyard in the early evening, when the stars began to twinkle through the orange sky, quickly being washed over by the dark navy night. His hand had drifted toward her, sweetly holding her fingers with his own.

She had looked at him, very confusedly, but happy nonetheless. Even while it was out of character for her, she blushed. She felt special, and maybe that's why she liked him so much. He treated her like a queen and she enjoyed getting showered with his attention whenever she was around him.

They held like that for a while, sitting on the backyard porch while watching the stars. It got colder, he offered up his jacket, draping it over her shoulders. She could inhale the sweet scent of his cologne, imbedded in the cotton sweater's fibers. When it was dark, with only the moon to provide them with light, he whispered her name.

It was different than usual. For one, it was softer. There was this tenderness she had never heard before, but right away she knew it was something special. It made her heart skip a beat, before thudding quickly and loudly, to the point where she felt she could hear it in her ears. It was like swimming through jelly, an indescribable feeling. She said his name back to him, not sure what else to say.

He laughed at her for that, to which he promptly received a good natured knock in the head. Though, he didn't seem to mind. He reached behind her, pressing against the small of her back and pulling her closer to him. The girl swallowed, that little voice in her head easily telling her what was happening. She was not as dense as her friends.

"You're the most beautiful girl in the world."

Gentle words came from his mouth. Ones she would never quickly forget.

"... And I love you."

She received her first kiss that night; and oh, how wonderful it felt. That moment of pure stillness, the eye of the storm, the rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins; perfection.

His lips were soft against hers. His hand rested on the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her bright orange locks as he toyed with her hair. When they broke apart from each other, both breathed heavily and were bright red, though neither of them saw the other in the darkness of the night. Finally, she just laughed. She had just had her first kiss in the world. Not only that, but to her she floated above the clouds, solely because she felt there could be no better kiss and no better boy in the world.

To say she was upset when she had to go back to St. Marie was an understatement. No, she cried at the train station. Her heart ached to stay with him, to keep close to him. She feared they would drift apart because they were so far away. She wanted to feel the way she had felt that night of their first kiss every single day. She wanted to feel his touch that sent chills down her spine, his lips that were so gentle as he kissed her.

Though, the only thing he could do was hold her closely to him for one last time before she would be gone for long. His eyes held hers and for one moment, things didn't seem so bad.

He held her by both shoulders and sincerely said, "I will never stop loving you. Even with the distance between us, our hearts will stay together."

With that, he wiped away her tears. He told her not to cry anymore. He couldn't stand to see her like that. For that reason only, she stopped her flow of tears and smiled. He promised he would visit with whatever chance he had.

And for the first while, he really did.

XxXxX

Katou Rumi was one who was full of confidence. The aura that surrounded her was one that was bright, in which anyone could see. Many people for that reason found her one to draw near to. She was very friendly, freely giving smiles to everyone.

Her heart was pure, and thankfully she thought herself not to be dense, much like many of her friends were. One thing that truly proved this over all others was the fact that she was the only one in a dedicated relationship. Her best friends, Koizumi Kana and Amano Ichigo, were as dense as bricks. They couldn't seem to understand the concepts of love and relationships, and most obviously could not see just who could be taking an interest in them.

Regardless of their single statuses, both gushed over Rumi and her boyfriend, supporting her completely and always willing to listen to her talk about it.

Surprisingly enough, both were aware of the change in her when she returned back to St. Marie after her first visit home. Maybe it was that her smile was more natural, or she just shined as bright as the stars had that night, but there was a noticeable change from within.

When asked about it, Rumi was willing to confide in the information with them. Both Ichigo and Kana were quite receptive about it, congratulating her immensely and all the while not being jealous; though Rumi could see no reason for them to be.

Above all things, Ichigo and Kana respected her attachment toward her boyfriend. Whenever he called her, they allowed her to talk. They willingly allowed her these things, because they knew she barely saw him and she was with them all the time. When he webcam chatted her at night, Ichigo would always quietly draw the curtain that separated their room into two and listened to music in order to give the girl her privacy.

Even so far apart, Rumi felt that she and Takuya were still close. He always sent her text messages throughout the day, telling her that he was either thinking about her, missing her, or just anything about her. Seeing his face at the end of the day always brightened her smile. She was the girl in love, who shined just because of the incredible radiant feelings within her.

Though separated by miles, Takuya never failed to ask her how her day was. Even if it were the most boring day in the world, he would listen to her say so. That was what Rumi loved so much about him. He didn't seem to get tired of her, because he wanted to know everything. He was getting really deep into her heart, and she told him many things that she didn't tell anyone; not even her own family. She was fine with that too.

When his school district had a day off school in which Rumi did not, he would travel all the way to the St. Marie campus to see her. They would spend the whole afternoon together, usually in Salon de Marie. Together, they would try different cakes, all the while catching up in a way that just couldn't be done over the computer. He could read the signs she was sending him. When she laid her hand on the table, he always rested his hand on top of hers.

When the cakes arrived, he always let her have the first bite of his pastry, since they both agreed the first bite was the best. He liked to joke around, and make her laugh. She played along every single time, even when it wasn't even funny.

Even when it came for him to leave, Rumi was always anxious. She was constantly afraid that if she let him go, he would never come back. Although, he assured her he would be back for her.

One day, she asked him, "When you say you'll come back for me, what do you mean?"

He didn't say anything for a moment, but finally gave her a smile, "When you graduate from this school, I'm going to take you home. Our home. We'll get married and have a family, you and me."

The future seemed spelled out clearly in her mind. She could see giving herself completely to him. She could see them both standing at the altar, him slipping the golden band onto her left ring finger. She could see their family, a boy who had his dark hair, and a girl, who had his bright eyes.

"Really?" She breathed, her voice hitched with excitement.

That was the day she had her second kiss.

"Really. I promise."

XxXxX

Things that seem completely harmless can sometimes be the most deadly poison. On a perfectly normal night, Rumi had gotten all ready for bed. The only thing that came before that was her nightly webcam session with Takuya.

Ichigo sat on her own bed, a textbook in her lap. She was on her cell phone, arguing with who else, but Kashino Makoto. "No, no, that's not it," She snapped, "No for once, I'm right and you're wrong." She scribbled something down on her worksheet, "... No, I didn't check the answer book. Well, how do I know I'm right? _Because_, it seems obvious!"

"Ichigo-chan? Could you keep it down for the next little while?" Rumi asked her politely.

The brunette looked up from her work and grinned, knowing exactly why. "Of course Rumi-chan," She agreed easily. "Kashino, I have to go. No, not because I'm lazy. I just have to- I'm going to finish it, don't worry about it. No really. ... I'm not an idiot!" She huffed, before hanging up the phone. "I'll just let you get to it," Ichigo giggled, winking at her roommate before putting on headphones to yet again tune out of her friend's conversation with her boyfriend and listen to music.

Just on time like usual, a little icon appeared on Rumi's computer screen, indicating Takuya wanted to have a video chat with her. She quickly accepted, and said, "Hi Takuya!"

His image materialized. He sat in front of the computer screen as usual. He had his homework surrounding him, since he usually did his homework while they talked.

"Hey Rumi," He greeted her.

Like always, she was quite excited to tell him all about her adventures of the day. However, she was just waiting for him to ask her, because well, he always asked her. She tapped her fingers on her desk, waiting. "Oh! Who's that?"

Suddenly, someone whom Rumi had never seen before appeared on screen. She was quite the pretty girl, she had short blonde hair in contrast to Rumi's very long orange hair. She had very big blue eyes and she was much thinner than Rumi was. No doubt because of the profession she was studying; of course she was going to eat sweets while studying them. Takuya scooted over and allowed the girl to pull up another chair beside him, "Oh Rumi, this is Madeline."

"Hi!" Madeline said sweetly. She looked at Takuya, "How do you know her?"

"We grew up together," Takuya told her, "We're really close."

Rumi continued to stare at the both of them, sitting side by side. Just who was she? "I'm also his girlfriend," She replied calmly.

"Is that so?" Madeline chirped. She giggled before adding, "You never told me you had a girlfriend Takuya!"

This stunned Rumi to some point. She told everyone about Takuya, because she was proud to be his girlfriend. He was proud to be her boyfriend, wasn't he?

"Just never came up I guess," He replied casually, shrugging. "Madeline just transferred from the United States, how cool is that Rumi?"

She didn't know really what to say. "Well, I guess. Why'd you come over here Madeline?"

"Just to broaden my horizons," Madeline answered, "My mom's Japanese, so I thought I might come over here to learn the culture. And I'm majoring in the same thing as Takuya here."

Rumi wasn't going to mention it, but she didn't like the way the girl used no honorific for his name. After all, she had just met him. It had taken Rumi years to drop the honorific.

"Man Rumi, she's amazing," Takuya added, "She's already getting better grades than me, and she's only been here for about a week. She's actually here to help me out with my homework."

"He's plenty smart on his own though," Madeline interjected, "I'm just helping him boost his marks a little."

"Yeah right," Takuya argued, "Must I remind you of the chemistry incident today?"

She started laughing, so whatever the chemistry incident was, it must have been hilarious. Madeline grinned, "Well, that was just an accident. You're very smart Takuya."

"Takuya," Rumi tried to actually get herself into the conversation, "Like she said, I bet you're doing great."

"I felt really stupid in that moment though," He replied, though it sounded like it was more directed at Madeline than her. "I mean you even saw Sensei, the look she gave me was ridiculous..." He looked down at his homework laid out in front of him, "Now, how would you do this?"

"Of that's really easy," Madeline assured him, leaning toward him and pointing at something on the homework sheet, "Just do this and then..."

"Oh I see it!"

"Exactly."

"Hey Takuya!" Rumi called to him, and both he and Madeline looked at her. She suddenly realized she had nothing to say, but rather she had just wanted his attention.

When she didn't say anything, Takuya stared at her, "Rumi...?"

"Oh, I forgot."

He smiled, "Aw, that's okay." He scribbled down more into his homework, to which Madeline nodded in approval.

Takuya looked back up at the computer, at Rumi who just watched the two of them interact. "Hey Rumi, if you have nothing to talk about, I'll just get off now so I can finish this thing."

"Oh what?" She asked, "But you didn't even ask me how my-"

"Takuya, that should be like this," Madeline interrupted, holding up her own sheet and pointing at something.

He read it over, before sighing, "Damn, you're right." He looked back at Rumi, "Listen, we'll talk tomorrow, okay Rumi?"

"Well, I guess-"

"Great, okay. Talk to you later!"

"Talk to you later," She responded numbly, unable to process what was happening, "I love yo-"

But he had already dropped the video call.

XxXxX

Rumi didn't say a word about Madeline to her friends, which surprised even her. She was honestly very quite open with them, but for some reason she didn't want to tell them about another girl Takuya had been with.

Could it be that she was afraid if she said it herself, it would be real? She tried to push those thoughts out of her head however. Takuya told her that he loved her, not Madeline. He said he was going to marry her. He was going to have a family with her. Who was Madeline to intrude on those things?

"Rumi-chan, are you okay?" Ichigo asked. Both were in homeroom, where Rumi was thinking of such things. Ichigo looked at her, concern shining through on those chocolate eyes of hers.

Rumi realized she hadn't seemed very happy since the video call last night. "No, I'm okay Ichigo-chan," She assured her.

Ichigo sighed, and even seemed as though she were going to say more, but was interrupted by the 3 boys who raced into the room at that time. The teacher, who was sitting at her desk, looked at all 3 of them.

Without a doubt, the sweet princes were never late. No less, they never came in after Ichigo of all people. "Ah, Kashino-san, Andou-san, Hanabusa-san," The teacher's voice was very steady, "Care to explain why you are 15 minutes late to class?"

All three combined, could not tell their proper story, which displeased their teacher even more. Finally, Kashino had just blurted out, "It'll never happen again! I swear!" He was one to care about punctuality. School did mean everything to him, so it seemed.

"I will see all three of you after class so you can fill me in properly," The teacher told them, definitely more like a command than a request. "Understood?"

"... Yes Sensei."

All 3 boys quickly made their way towards their seats. Kashino's seat was situated beside Ichigo's, with Andou sitting behind him. Hanabusa sat on Rumi's left side. Though he never said it, Rumi wondered if he would have rather sat in her spot so he would be beside his friends. Nonetheless, the rose prince never complained, and thus Rumi never really brought it up.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked her blond counterpart, as he walked down the aisle of desks toward his seat.

He was obviously not happy about looking so weak in front of her, and put on his typical poker face. "It's none of your business," He replied, while tapping his knuckles against her forehead.

Hanabusa on the other hand sat quietly in his seat, setting his bag down on the floor beside his desk. He looked over at Rumi as he usually did, "Good morning Rumi-chan," He greeted her with a smile.

It was very typical for him to exhibit princely behaviour to any girl, so Rumi didn't particularly find it anything special. Most definitely she was not in the mood to smile, with thoughts of Takuya and Madeline clouding her mind. "Morning," She replied softly, before staring down at her opened notebook on her desk.

The princely boy was very sharp when it came to the emotions of women, and immediately knew something was wrong. After all, he had seen the look on Ichigo's face many times, especially after she had fights with Kashino.

"Is something the matter Rumi-chan?" He asked her, speaking softly, as so the teacher would not scold him for the second time that morning.

She was hesitant in answering, which was another strong indication, in his opinion. "... No," She responded, though she sighed and shook her head. He could see the forlorn expression on her face, but she didn't change her mind, "No."

"If you ever have problems, you can always talk to someone," Hanabusa said.

She stared at him, "Are you implying I talk to you?"

"Well... Not necessarily," He replied awkwardly. "There's always Ichigo-chan and Kana-chan... But I suppose you could talk to me too."

She raised her eyebrows at him, before giving him one a smirk he had come to associate her with, "I'll keep that in mind, rose boy."

XxXxX

Rumi was nervous. The thing was; she sat in front of her computer again, waiting to get a video chat request from Takuya. She never thought she would feel nervous around Takuya. They were just so close, to the point where nothing really felt awkward. But then again, that was before Madeline had been squeezed into the picture.

Rumi sure hoped she was just overreacting and nothing had really changed. Her heart seemed to flutter with relief when his incoming request reached her, even soared when she realized he was alone. "Hi Rumi," He greeted her, "How was your day?"

That was the conversation she remembered and treasured. The normal chitchat she loved to have, always starting with him asking how her day was. "It was good!" She assured him, "But I've got lots of homework, you know? I can't wait for spring break."

"I can't either," He agreed, "I can't wait to spend time with you again."

She blushed under his attention, "Aw, you're just saying that."

"You know I mean it."

"I guess." She twiddled her fingers, before asking sheepishly, "W-what would you want to do spring break?"

She was secretly hoping for her third kiss, to be honest. Though, she wasn't sure if he was thinking the same thing. "Spend time together," He replied easily, "I can't really name any specifics."

"Oh, okay. We'll decide when the time comes then," Rumi agreed.

"Yeah," He looked around the room, before reaching beside his computer for a textbook, "Listen, I've got a lot of work today, I'm going to have to sign off early."

This stunned her slightly, because he always did his homework, but he would still talk to her. What made it any different now? She heard the phone ring from his side, and he picked it up. It was truly a stomach twisting experience to see his face light up, right before hanging up their video call. One word came out of his mouth before he did, which Rumi could only associate with destruction.

"Madeline!"

XxXxX

Needless to say, Rumi figured it would only take a while before Takuya and Madeline would stop being so attached. It was always like that, wasn't it? You make friends with someone and you want to spend all your time with them, but eventually you learn to be separated from each other. Or was that the other way around with relationships? Rumi didn't even know.

3 months after Takuya had first introduced her to Madeline, Rumi was still waiting for that to happen. Yet, it didn't seem as though any distance was coming between him and the blonde girl. Rather, to her dismay, they seemed to be closing that gap.

Every once and a while, Takuya wouldn't video call her. He wouldn't even answer his phone when she called. Though he always apologized the day after, claiming to have been intensely busy he had forgotten or hadn't even looked at his phone.

The gnawing feeling in Rumi's stomach got worse as the days wore on. Though she was constantly making up excuses for him as to why things were happening. He was studying very hard so he could have a good job in the future. That good job would benefit their future together. He was allowed to hang out with his guy friends, spend the night out, and have fun, even without her. She wasn't the center of his life after all.

However, she hadn't yet faced the reality that he was the center of her universe, and she slowly seemed to be losing that force that held everything together.

Spring break was quickly approaching and Takuya hadn't even mentioned it to her since all the way back in January. Rumi was getting tired of waiting, wanting to know if he were going to come for her, or if she was going to come for him.

Now, whenever he video chatted her, she constantly felt unsettled, almost trying to grab hold of their conversation; thinking it would make him stay. No longer was he the one who didn't want to hang up on her, he was the one who was always hanging up.

He asked her about her day, and she answered. He looked about to change the subject before she finally blurted out, "So, what's happening for spring break?"

Takuya stared at her for a moment before pursing his lips together. That was never a good sign, Rumi had learned.

"Listen Rumi..."

"Don't listen Rumi me," She interrupted, "What's going on? We haven't made any plans for the spring break, and it's already next week."

"I... We can't get together spring break," He mumbled finally, "I have midterms coming up, and you know that. I really want to do well, and you know I want to make it into a good university so I can support you, right?"

She couldn't really argue with that. He was just being so thoughtful; thinking about his actions would affect her later on. "But, I just..." Rumi sighed, peering at him with sad eyes, "I just really miss you."

"I know Rumi, and I'm sorry."

"Oh... I guess it's okay, just study hard, okay?"

"I will, I promise."

XxXxX

On the first day of spring break, Rumi was surprised to see Ichigo up early in the morning. Usually the brunette would sleep until noon on school holidays. "Where are you off to?" Rumi asked her, sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes.

"The sweet princes and I are going to Osaka today," Ichigo replied, "There's a big sweets convention thing going on."

"Osaka?" Rumi wondered. She was from Osaka. And Osaka was very far away from where St. Marie was.

"Yeah," Ichigo stood in front of the mirror, tying her hair up in her usual pigtails. "Are you going up there too Rumi-chan? Visiting Takuya maybe?" She winked at the girl for good measure, though was surprised to see her downcast face. "What's the matter?"

"... Takuya's busy this spring break," She answered sadly; "He's got to do studying for midterms."

"Oh." Ichigo paused, "Hey, why don't you surprise him?"

This perked Rumi's interest. "What do you mean?"

"What about a surprise visit to his house?" Ichigo grinned, "Just a surprise, you can spend one day together and then he can spend the rest of his break working. At least you'll get to see him!"

"That's a great idea Ichigo-chan!" Rumi was excited, jumping up from her bed, "He'll be happy to see me, I'm sure." She was unwilling to add the fact that maybe Takuya might remember how much he loved her if he saw her in person. Rumi hadn't told Ichigo about the things she had faced, like the distance that had grown between them or Madeline for that matter.

"You can come with the sweet princes and I," Ichigo assured her, "Just get ready, I bet Takuya will be so blown away to see you."

Rumi really hoped he would be.

XxXxX

So she found herself standing at the front door to his house, Ichigo and the sweet princes had gone off for the sweets convention and she was tingly with excitement. She was about to ring the door bell, when she realized the door was unlocked.

It was usual for Takuya to leave the front door. It had been a habit, since they were young. He'd always leave the door accessible so she could just let herself in and come play. It seemed even with her so far away, he continued to do it. But then again, he had stopped doing that last time she was there, but she brushed it off.

The house was surprisingly quiet, only the hum of the fridge in the kitchen echoing through the whole house.

Then she heard footsteps upstairs. No doubt, Takuya was up there, studying hard to support both his and her future. She crept up the stairs, wanting to surprise him even further. She wondered how happy he would be to see her open the door and surprise him with her appearance. When she made it up the stairs, she quickly tip toed down the hallway toward his room. The door was opened just slightly.

Rumi rested her hand on the door knob, ready to open the door when she heard voices.

"T-Takuya..."

She froze.

It couldn't be.

It just couldn't be.

"What is she finds out?"

It was Madeline's voice; sweet, innocent, little Madeline. What was she doing there? Didn't Takuya say he was busy? That's why he couldn't go see her?

"That won't happen. Rumi's not coming, I told her I was busy."

At the sound of her name, Rumi listened in even harder. She peeked through the little crack in the door to see Madeline, sitting on his bed, her back facing the door, with Takuya sitting in front of her. And Rumi knew it was Takuya. She could clearly see his face, his eyes. The ones that could always look deep into her soul, and currently were looking over Madeline with such...

Affection.

"You did?" Madeline whispered.

Takuya smiled at her, reaching forward and playing with her hair, "Of course, I said I would right?"

Rumi couldn't believe what she was hearing. What did he mean? They had talked about spring break? They had specifically decided to lie to her? Why? It couldn't be... She saw the way he smiled at her. It was the way he had always looked at her.

She thought it had been a special expression he only used for her.

"Yeah, I know. I just didn't think you would..."

"Well, I did. I love you."

Rumi could not move. Her whole body felt numb, hearing the 3 simple words come from his mouth. It echoed through her thoughts, and worst of all, was not directed toward her. His words were directed toward another girl.

And then he put his hand behind her neck, and pulled her in close to him. Rumi could picture the night he had done the same thing to her. She could feel the overwhelming feeling of feeling special. Treasured. Loved.

In slow motion, she saw her boyfriend; **her boyfriend**, kiss another girl.

Her legs felt like jelly, and she wobbled, trying to find her balance. She couldn't even see. Tears blurred her vision, like she was drowning in a watery grave. She couldn't breathe. Before she knew it, she had pushed the door open, and both Takuya and Madeline stared at her. Both looked equally horrified, but Rumi didn't even care.

Her heart felt like it was being torn in two; like she was descending into the darkness of an abyss. She could only choke out one simple sentence.

"How could you?"

And she waited, standing firm in the doorway, even when she felt like her head was spinning. She wanted an answer. She demanded an answer.

Takuya, the boy she was convinced she would live happily forever after with, pursed his lips together.

She always knew when he was delivering bad news. She always did.

And that's when she realized she didn't want to hear his answer. She didn't want to hear him say anything to her ever again. She didn't want to talk to him, see him or even hear of him ever again.

So she did the only thing she could think to do. She turned.

And she ran.

XxXxX

To Rumi, it felt like the end of the world. How could he have done something like that to her? He cheated on her. He had kissed another girl. He had made her feel special, to which she returned with giving him her undying love. But in the end, all he had been doing was playing her like a fool.

When Rumi stormed away, she found herself back at the bus station to which she had first arrived with Ichigo and the sweet princes. She sat down on the park bench and finally, the tears that had welled up her eyes finally streamed down her face. She had never cried so hard in her life. Sobs racked her whole body, and she shook so vigorously.

"... Rumi-chan?"

And who else was to find her, except for the rose sweet prince?

He stood in front of her, the sun behind him, making it almost impossible to look straight at him. She squinted through her tears and mumbled finally, "I'm not in the mood rose boy."

In spite the situation, he laughed at the ridiculous nickname in which she called him. However, he knew she was not in the mood for laughter in the moment. He went on his knees, so that he was at the same height as she was while she sat. "Now, now, tears don't suit you Rumi-chan," He said comfortingly. He reached into his pocket for his handkerchief. Softly, he reached forward and wiped away her tears.

She flinched slightly, but nonetheless allowed him to continue wiping her tears away. It took a while too, as the tears would not seem to stop flowing from her. She just felt so emotionally drained. Finally, it seemed to stop and he pulled his hand away and sat on the bench next to her. "Why aren't you with the others?" Rumi asked him finally.

"I just wasn't feeling right," He confided, "So I told them I was just going to go on a walk by myself. Then I saw you."

She was silent, and finally he asked her, "What happened?"

Surprisingly enough she found herself spilling everything. She had kept everything inside her so long. Takuya slowly skirting away from her, up to the point where had actually gone and lied to her; he had cheated on her. She didn't even know for how long it could have been.

Through it all, he listened to her. And that if anything, was comforting to her. Finally when she was finished, he smiled at her in that princely fashion and laid his hand on top of her, "Remember, I told you that you should talk to someone when you have problems?"

She nodded, "I know, I just... I thought I could handle it on my own."

"The whole world isn't against you Rumi-chan, there's always people willing to listen and help you. I know it may seem mean for me to say, considering that you're a very independent girl, but sometimes you need to lean on others."

She knew he was right, but as he had said, she was a very head strong, independent kind of girl. It wasn't very easy.

"That's hard to do," She mumbled.

He nodded, understanding where she was coming from, "I know it is, but you know what? I'm willing to help you out. You have any problems; you can come talk to me, okay? I'll listen to you. I promise."

The thought of someone to confide in, in such a special sort of way comforted her. She agreed, and he smiled and gave her a pat on the head. She looked up at him, with that smirk he was quite familiar with. "And here I thought all you ever cared about was yourself."

He laughed, having heard of that reputation everywhere. Tucking his handkerchief back in his pocket, he smiled at her, "And where would you have gotten that kind of idea Rumi-chan?"

XxXxX

Ever since then, Hanabusa almost became like Rumi's best friend. Of course, he never replaced Ichigo, who was most definitely up there as to who Rumi trusted, but he was definitely an important piece to her life.

Without Takuya, Rumi had that constant feeling of emptiness. Maybe it was because she didn't get to talk about her day to him anymore, or there was no one who made her feel overwhelmingly special, but nonetheless, she just felt so empty.

Though, Hanabusa was there to try and fill that void. When Rumi was craving the kind of conversation she used to have with Takuya, he'd easily fill in for her. Rumi was in awe of the way he would listen to her. At the beginning, yes, Takuya had cared, he would listen, but as time wore on, he got less and less interested. On the contrary, Hanabusa was always listening, even when he already knew how her day had been, because well, he was there.

Rumi sometimes wondered why he was so nice to her. He just treated her like a princess, and while it felt nice, she wondered what it really meant. Hanabusa was the princely one. He courted all the girls, won first prize when it came to flirting, Rumi couldn't distinguish the difference between Hanabusa being who he was, a smidge away from being a narcissist, and who he was as a friend.

Though, Rumi tried not to dwell on it too long. Even though it was already June, her heart still ached from spring break. She had known heartbreak hurt. She just never thought she'd experience it. One thing was for sure however, she wasn't ever going to let it happen again.

The whole school was energized for the end of the year, the summer weather had returned, the simple thoughts of summer vacation all fresh in their minds. All the fourteen year olds were ready to move on, into their new grade that was sure to be full with adventure and excitement.

"Rumi-chan, are you excited for summer break?" Hanabusa asked her one day. Indulgently, their class was holding French class outside, allowing the students some time in the sun, instead of cooped up in a classroom.

Both Rumi and Hanabusa sat under the shade of a large tree, just near to the lake. Rumi had been working on her French work quite silently, and was surprised to hear his voice break into her thoughts. "I guess," She said thoughtfully, "But I don't know what I'd do..." What she didn't really want to say was that she didn't know where she would go. She was definitely not ready to go home. Not with Takuya living in the house across the street from hers. She didn't think she'd be able to take it if she were to see Takuya with Madeline. No matter how much she insisted she never wanted to talk to him ever again, there was still that part of her that still wanted to be Takuya's girl; as she had been for most of her life.

"You're not going home?" He asked the very question she hadn't wanted to hear. Though, she trusted him with her thoughts, and told him what she was thinking. "... What if someone went with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't want to see him and be all alone, right? Why don't you take someone with you?"

Rumi hadn't really been thinking about it, to be honest. She was trying to keep the thoughts of summer vacation and Takuya far back in a dusty corner of her mind. "Take someone with me? Like who?"

He smiled at her, "Well, I'd go with you, if you just asked of course."

She laughed, before closing her notebook shut. She raised her eyebrows, giving him the almost notorious Rumi smirk. "Well rose boy, do you wish to accompany me back to the wicked place that is my hometown?"

She was joking of course. Regardless if Takuya were there or not, she loved Osaka like nothing else. In fact, if she were to chose, she'd live there when she grew up.

The narcissist smirked at her, playing along. He looked amongst the grass they sat in, before picking a small wild flower from the small patch of them growing by the tree. He reached over and tucked it into her hair, "Why of course princess."

Rumi found her gaze drawn to his own, his bright green eyes sincere. She felt herself blushing, but then again, he always did that to her; it was just his princely character showing a bit too much.

With that, Rumi found herself sitting in a train with Hanabusa Satsuki, on the way back to Osaka. She was nervous; she had said it when they boarded the train. She was thankful that Hanabusa was trying to distract her, pointing out things he saw through the window and talking to her about the most random things.

"Rumi-chan, it'll be fine," He finally said, noting how she just wasn't in a good mood. He took her hand and gently lifted her knuckles and pressed them against his lips, "You've got a prince to protect you."

She swiped her hand away, embarrassed and confused. "... I guess," She offered finally, "Sorry, I'm just so anxious..."

"I can imagine," He agreed.

XxXxX

Rumi opened the front door to her own house, allowing Hanabusa to go inside before her. He complimented her house and respectfully took off his shoes before sitting down in her living room. Looking out the window, he stared at the house across the street, "I'm going to guess that's Takuya's house, right?"

She nodded before sitting beside him. "... Thanks for coming," Rumi finally thanked him, "I'd be a wreck without someone here."

"I'll always be here for you Rumi-chan," He assured her.

She didn't really know what to say. The way he spoke to her made her question that state of their relationship. They were just friends. But sometimes, Rumi felt like he forgot those things. She saw someone come out of the house next door, "Oh! That's him!"

She had just wished he would leave her alone. What did he want now? Takuya was crossing the street, storming up the steps to her house. Both she and Hanabusa heard the rough knocking at the front door. There was an awkward moment of silence. "I-I'll get it," Rumi said finally.

Hanabusa said nothing. Rather, sat on the couch quite still. Rumi got up and opened the door. She was surprised to see Takuya, who looked as though he was burning as hot as fire. "Rumi, what the hell is going on?" He snapped brashly, before pushing past her into the house.

At the commotion Hanabusa stood up, face to face with Rumi's ex-boyfriend. "Takuya, what are you doing?" Rumi asked, appalled. Of all the years she had known him, he had never looked so upset.

"Who are you?" Takuya asked, pointing at Hanabusa accusingly, "What the hell are you doing with Rumi?"

"As I recall," Hanabusa replied calmly, "This is none of your business. You and Rumi-chan are over, right?"

Takuya's face was red with anger, "Rumi, you need to let me explain. You didn't even hear me out, and then you went and got yourself a new boyfriend? What the hell is up with that? That's not right, and you know it!"

"What is there to talk about?" She yelled back at him, "I saw you kiss another girl! What do you want to explain about that? Did I just dream it all up? Tell me Takuya, what do you want me to do? How am I supposed to trust you ever again?"

"I screwed up, I know, I know. I'm sorry Rumi, just listen to me-"

"I don't want to listen to you!" She snapped, "Just go away and never come back! I don't want to hear from you ever again!"

There were tears in her eyes, and both Takuya and Hanabusa stared at her. "Rumi... Please just-" Takuya stepped forward toward, trying to regain his composure.

However, Hanabusa got in the way, his facial features hardened. "It's rude to make a girl cry, anyone who does is obviously no gentleman," He said.

Takuya gritted his teeth, "Shut up you freak!" His patience was finally snapped. He slapped Hanabusa square across the face, before stalking back out the front door, "Whatever Rumi! Go enjoy your life with lover boy! I could care less!"

The door slammed behind him and both Rumi and Hanabusa saw him enter his own house again.

"H-Hanabusa-kun," Rumi wiped the tears from her eyes and took hold of his shoulders, "Are you okay?"

Takuya had slapped him pretty hard. His whole left cheek was red, his lip swelling slightly. "It's fine," He brushed her off, shying away from her.

"What's wrong?" She asked, surprised to see him act in such a way. He had never been wary of her.

"Do you still like him?" Hanabusa asked finally, before sitting down on the sofa. "You always say you don't care, but then you always talk about him, you always cry about him. Just what does he mean to you?"

She didn't know what to say; because he was right. She was always talking about Takuya, how much she hated him, how much she had loved him, how much she missed him. A sickening feeling settled in Rumi's stomach. Hanabusa had put up with her talking about an ex-boyfriend day after day; she never once thought about how he might feel.

"I-it's not like that," She replied quietly, "I just... I-I'm hurt. I..."

"You don't think I am?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rumi demanded. What was with him? Why was he acting in such a way?

"I thought you said you weren't dense," He laughed, but how empty it sounded. "Did you not know how much I loved Ichigo-chan?"

Rumi felt prickly as he said it, "Y-you what?"

"I had a crush on Ichigo-chan from the moment I saw her on her first day at St. Marie, but she always mistook my advances as being my typical self." He stared at her straight in the face, his emerald eyes locking onto her caramel ones. "I loved her, and I tried to get her to love me too," He chuckled softly, though nothing was funny, "But of course, she doesn't love me. She loves Kashino of all people."

"But Ichigo-chan and Kashino-kun aren't toge-"

"I know, but the way they look at each other. Even if they aren't together, you can just tell." He sighed, "Unrequited love at its finest Rumi-chan, I'll always just be a friend of hers, nothing more. And let me tell you, it hurt every single day, but you don't see me moping about it all the time, do you?"

"N-no," She replied, "But for Takuya and I... It's different! It's..."

"There you go again," He stood up abruptly, crossing over and standing right in front of her. "Takuya this, Takuya that. You know what Rumi-chan, I got over Ichigo-chan, but it seems you just can't get over Takuya. Do you get what I mean?"

He was so close to her; she didn't know what to say. "B-but..."

"Rumi-chan, don't you get it?" He asked finally, just being unable to beat around it any longer. "I can't stand to see you mope over Takuya."

"Give me one good reason rose boy," She replied, "He was my everything, he was the reason life was so amazing. He was what gave me peace. Give me one good reason why I should just forget! One good-"

She didn't finish her sentence, because the boy held onto both her shoulders, his face showing one of longing, "You want one reason? Fine. Rumi-chan, move on..."

"What are you...?"

He gently pressed her against the wall, her eyes widened and his expression sincere, "Move on, so I can love you."

And without further explanation, he kissed her. Her senses felt like they were on fire, a strange sting of adrenaline coursing through her blood. A dangerous kind of feeling she had never gotten when Takuya had kissed her. He broke apart from her, his lips right beside her ear, "Please Rumi-chan, I love you."

Her heart was torn in two. She realized then, all the time that they had been friends, every move he made, he had been trying to show her. But like Ichigo, she had mistaken them all as his personality. What confused her more, what did she feel? What did she want?

She trembled under the pressure, trying to decide once and for all if she was finally over her past, and ready to move on. Her hands shook, but she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I... I want to love you too. I really do."

Then he kissed her again, such an enticing sense of danger and promise. Something that felt as unpredictable as the wind.

But Rumi felt strangely calm, wrapped up in the arms of the rose sweets prince; the one who had been her supporter all along. She had finally found it.

Her true serenity.

* * *

**Me: I hope you liked it! I kindly ask of you to leave me a review and tell me what you think! **

**So, please review/favourite/whatever you please. **

**As I always have and always will, I love you all! :)**

**xoxo**

**~Mikashi-chan :)**


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